Language Awareness research: where we are now

ABSTRACT

This paper outlines the context in which Language Awareness (LA) research is currently situated and where it might be going. The starting point is Eric Hawkins's vision (40 years ago) of LA as a bridge between school subjects and, in wider society, between people of different backgrounds and languages. Although considerable progress has been made in language education, this vision remains very relevant in today's society, characterised by large population movements and economic instability. In the UK, there is a mismatch between the multilingualism of communities with roots outside the UK and the shortage of foreign language skills sought by employers. Globally, English as a foreign language dominates, especially in higher education. Against this background, The paper reflects on LA research in the last four years; the topic areas which are most commonly addressed, the languages targeted, and the context in which research is taking place. It is noted that a complex dynamic systems world view is evident in much of current LA research, and discuss some of the implications.

KEYWORDS:

• language awareness
• consciousness-raising
• teacher knowledge
• form-focused pedagogy
• multilingualism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Agneta M-L. Svalberg

Agneta M.-L. Svalberg teaches and supervises in Applied Linguistics and TESOL on Master's and Doctoral courses at the University of Leicester. She is particularly interested in grammar, from both a theoretical perspective (in particular tense-modality-aspect) and the teaching/learning perspectives (engagement with language). In her teaching of English grammar to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers, she uses a collaborative Language Awareness-raising approach.